“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” -Rocky Balboa, 2006
When Sylvester Stallone, the actor that famously wrote the first film of the legendary franchise when he was so broke that he had to sell his dog for the time being because he couldn’t afford to feed him, brought the iconic character back after the underwhelming fifth installment over 15 years earlier, he used the older and wiser version of Rocky to deliver another inspiration message to a new generation.
Thankfully, Sly was able to buy his dog back after the success of the first film, an ironic nod to the narrative that played out in the franchise a few decades later. Ultimately, Rocky’s prose was about perseverance, and it’s not surprising that art can imitate life, both in and outside of the ring.
Narratives play out in different forms, the stage, the big screen, or in the ring. Sports entertainment is as much of a drama as the sports films that unfold over the course of physical combat.
One such example is the real-life Derek Klein, a young veteran of the business with more than 12 years of experience that is just beginning to scratch the surface of the prime of his career. Known in the squared circle as Derek Dillinger, a power hunger director persona that weaves old school cinema into an in-ring presentation, the grappler based out of Cleveland saw his profile expand exponentially in recent years as he branched out into neighboring states.
However, just like Balboa had to take a standing eight count in the 80s, Klein had to take his lumps in his real life while trying to balance the pursue of his art in recent years. When he wasn’t icing bruises and dealing with injuries from the ring, the harsh reality of life hit him even harder. Klein went through a divorce before both of his parents passed away in the span of just nine months. When his father passed, a link to his earliest attendance at the matches was lost, as his dad was the one that took him to live cards when he was just a toddler.
Klein felt lost and alone, citing the hurdles in his life as a part of a maturing process when he emerged from the rocky times.
“As an only child, things at times felt really hard to handle. In this wrestling world, I used to try to appease everyone, even when that same level of respect wasn’t reciprocated. Honestly, I would let that added stress burden me. It would make me feel significantly down on myself, my skill set, my career even if I didn’t show it, but I overcame that. I’ve done the most maturing, when I stopped caring. I have respect for everyone and I stay humble, but as in life everyone you encounter isn’t your best buddy. Every one has this preconceived notion of me because I usually stick to myself but, in reality I’m focused on why I’m here,” Derek explained.
After Derek reevaluated his path in professional wrestling, he took a change of course outside of it as well, leaving the long and taxing hours of the medical field to take on an office role that would give him more flexibility to expand his pro wrestling schedule.
“I’m a very impulsive person, I was in dire need to reevaluate my life, which I did, complete changes all across the board. Some of them may have been more drastic than others but, I needed to make a bunch of changes to continue to grow. After leaving the medical field, I ventured into an insurance type of role that would give me more freedom to achieve my wrestling goals, he explained.
With his professional and personal life more in balance, Derek started to produce the best work of his career, zigzagging from the east coast of the United States, throughout the mid west, and into Canada. He cites the late nights, long car rides, different crowds, and different opponents as a critical part of his journey to evolve into the performer that he is today.
“There are definitely levels to this, a lot of people don’t want to accept that, but it’s definitely true. I often compare it to climbing a flight of stairs to this door, but when you reach that door and break through, there are just another set of steps. So on and so forth. What works, what doesn’t work, and what can I improve. When I first started, I was just throwing anything at the wall to see what would stick. It wasn’t until I started going to different training schools and picking the brains of any vet I was on a show with. Stepping out of my comfort zone has allowed me to become mentored by some very talented individuals,” he commented.
One of the promotions that Derek excelled has a place close to his heart, a group he grew up watching, his hometown league, Absolute Intense Wrestling, one of the most well-known independents in the country. It was in the AIW squared circle that he had the chance to work with the late, legendary Tracy Smothers, and his dad’s favorite wrestler, Shane Douglas. The Cleveland-based league showed faith in Derek, promoting him to a featured position with various championships, and winning the prestigious J-Lit Invitational Tournament, an event held in honor of the late JT Lightening, who founded Cleveland All Pro Wrestling, regarded as the godfather of the Cleveland scene. In an homage to the gory spectacle of extreme that enthralled him as a youngster, Derek also cites his no rope barbed wire match against Joshua Bishop in 2022 as a career highlight.
“I’ve had the privilege and trust from a lot of promoters to share the ring with some of the very best to do this. John Thorne of Absolute Intense Wrestling has given me so many opportunities and has put me against some of the toughest competitors imaginable,” Klein remarked.
Picking the brains of the pioneers has remained a key of development for Derek. In another reflection of his fandom of Extreme Championship Wrestling in its heyday, much like the promotion itself, Derek became a stable of Pittsburgh, one of the old stomping grounds of extreme, through his work in the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the longest-running organizations of the Pittsburgh circuit. The Dudleys, Tommy Dreamer, Enzo, Fandango, Gangrel, Henry Godwinn, Elias, and others are some of the names that Derek worked with in IWC to help give him a higher education in the finer points of the grappling arts. In another show of faith, IWC’s current owner, Justin Plummer invested into Derek’s skills through championships and promotional opportunities in high stakes spots on the IWC cards.
“When I first met Derek in 2015, this young lion with a big smile was just so happy to be there. Started watching him have good matches with some of the Pittsburgh veterans like Mad Mike, Stryder, and Shirley Doe. Then when Derek went to Ryse, he had some bangers with another young talented wrestler who is the current ROH Pure champion, Lee Moriarty. Now, Derek is not only a student of the game, but his path is set and he knows where and what he wants. His wrestling speaks for itself, the character is in play and I’m sure we are just now watching him scratch the surface for what’s to come on much bigger levels,” said Dean Radford, former IWC heavyweight champion and currently one of the head organizers of Ryse Wrestling.
Several people have asked me for advice in wrestling and then just wanted to hear that they were good. Derek is the opposite. He wanted to know what was bad, what needed work, and how to do it. He never said, ‘Yeah, but’ when I gave him advice. He followed it. He’s always thinking of how to improve, how to be different, and make this a career. I can’t say enough about him, he’s one of two or three people I wish had been around when IWC was in its infancy,” added Sam Panico, one of the most influential and respected veterans of the Pittsburgh scene.
His Canadian ventures were another full circle moment of sorts, as it again brought back days of when he watched the grainy Hardcore TV show in front of the television next to his dad when Derek was still in elementary school. The international experience was another step in the path, the same type of steps he mentioned earlier, to the polished performer that he is today.
“Greektown Wrestling is my Canadian home. Channing Decker has given me the opportunity to make connections and work with so many ECW legends I’ve grown up watching. He’s help connect me with Tommy Dreamer, Ultimo Dragon and Masato Tanaka,” Klein commented.
“No matter what language barriers you may face, the language of professional wrestling is universal,” he added.
The sum total of the past 12 years, peaks and valleys from both inside and outside of the ring, yielded the director of in-ring chaos that Derek Dillinger is today. The brash villain is a combination of slick character development and a fast-paced, hard-hitting style with a flare of old school attitude. Plus, as a throwback to the heels of the silver screen, Derek Dillinger found a partner in crime in recent years, the apropos addition of Katie Arquette.
“Since Katie and I have been aligned together in wrestling, personally she got to see different layers than what the general consensus sees of me. She would be the first one to tell you, there are definitely methods to my madness, but she also helped me learn not to hyper fixate on things that aren’t in my control,” Klein explained.
When he isn’t shuffling insurance papers at the office or slamming opponents in the ring on the weekends, Derek still finds a home in the squared circle as a co-head trainer of the AIW school alongside Dominic Garrini in Cleveland, as well as an assistant trainer at IWC’s Iron City Wrestling Academy, where Arquette just started as the head trainer with a new group of aspiring students. Derek cites his work as a trainer as one of the most rewarding aspects of his time in the sport.
“My passion for teaching the younger crop of students is next level. Watching aspiring wrestlers learn makes me so happy. I’ve had a hand in training some very special wrestlers most noteworthy Sam Holloway currently signed to a WWE ID deal,” Klein said.
Despite the success, Klein keeps his focus to continue to move forward, seeing that notion as a critical part of his journey in the sport.
“I’ve been really fortunate with the opportunity to be able to work a bunch of AEW shows, which opens up a bunch of new goals I’m striving for. Obviously, everyone who competes as a wrestler steps into this world with the ultimate love of professional wrestling. My entire life that’s all I ever enjoyed and all I ever wanted. I would love to just be able to make a living off of that, he said.
Still through his pursuit of professional goals as Derek Dillinger, the real-life Derek Klein learned the value of perseverance through the triumphs and tragedies of life. From losing Mr. and Mrs. Klein to sharing the ring with Tanaka and Dreamer, Klein has learned life lessons that extend far beyond the ring.
“Tomorrow is never promised. You have to live your life doing the stuff you enjoy. Stuff that brings you happiness, you can’t hide behind insecurities or the traditional ‘What Ifs?,'” he concluded.
Maybe Stallone was right? It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward? Derek Klein certainly looks to be proof of that.
For more information about Derek, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/derek.klein.583
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Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
